The unwanted build-up of static electricity on an insulated support is well known. This phenomenon occurs on any element having an electrically insulating support surface.
In photographic elements, including electrophotographic elements, radiation-sensitive emulsions are usually coated on an insulating support. It has been a practice to reduce the electrostatic charge build-up by coating the surface of the support on which no photographic emulsions are coated with an antistatic composition. Sometimes a photographic emulsion layer is also coated with antistatic compositions. Such antistatic compositions decrease the surface resistivity thereby preventing the accumulation of electrical charges.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,616 a homogeneous antistatic composition comprising a hydrophilic binder, such as gelatin, containing a nonionic polyoxyethylene surface-active agent and an alkali metal thiocyanate, iodide, perchlorate or periodate is disclosed. Such antistatic compositions are effective in reducing the surface resistivity of such supports to about 10.sup.11 ohms/sq at 30% relative humidity (RH). The problem is that such antistatics are not compatible with all photographic elements or the manufacture of such elements. Some of the alkali metal salts used therein have an adverse effect on some radiation-sensitive photographic emulsions. Other such salts, such as the perchlorates, are known to be explosive, thus producing a manufacturing hazard. The purpose of the present invention is to provide novel alternative antistatic compositions which have none of the above drawbacks of the above prior art salts.